The Lakers Must Beat and Run

Well, that was a nice home stand, wasn’t it?

The Lakers dropped by the Forum between trips Sunday night to find the Dallas Mavericks, served up on a plate by the schedule, and polished them off, 103-88, to move into a virtual tie with the Warriors for first place in the Pacific.

“The home stand was great,” Coach Mike Dunleavy said. “It was really nice.”

Said Sam Perkins: “It was cool.”

Not to mention short. Returning from a 12-day trip, the Lakers now must play Tuesday in Sacramento. They then play twice at home--before going out again on a three-game trip to Chicago, Minneapolis and Detroit.

The Mavericks arrived Sunday for their fourth game in five nights, and played like it.

Their 28 points in the first half were a franchise low.

The Lakers out-rebounded them, 49-36, the fourth team they have beaten on the boards in 19 games this season.

Dunleavy even liked the way they ran their new motion offense, installed after Magic Johnson’s retirement. Before Sunday, he said, he rated it “about 25%.”

The Mavericks started the night with a three-game losing streak, without guard Fat Lever.

On the plus side, at least they weren’t overconfident.

“For us to be effective, we need to have out three guards,” Maverick Coach Richie Adubato said before the game.

“If you look at championship teams, they all have three guys who want the ball at the end of the game, who can get their own shot--and who can deliver.

“We have Ro (Rolando Blackman) . . . We’ll take Sam Perkins back, if you’ll lend him to us.”

The Lakers kept Perkins, instead, and the game lived up to its blow-out potential.

The Mavericks missed 15 of their 21 shots in the first period and scored 14 points.

Then they missed 12 of their 20 shots in the second period and scored another 14 points.

By then the Lakers had 50. The rest was merely playing it out.

The Mavericks cut the lead to 14 points midway through the third period, but that’s as much of a challenge as they could mount.

“It was great to get back playing in front of our home crowd,” Dunleavy said.

Enjoy it while it lasts.

Laker Notes

Magic Johnson attended the Raider game in the afternoon and sat on the Laker bench at night. In an interview on Prime Ticket, he repeated his intention of playing on the Olympic team next summer. “It’s no goal,” Johnson said. “I’m going to be playing, unless God decides to take me before that.” . . . Johnson will meet with NBA Commissioner David Stern this week in New York to discuss Johnson’s desire to buy a franchise. Johnson’s agent, Lon Rosen, however, concedes that it’s unlikely to be the Lakers. “I really don’t think they’re for sale,” Rosen said. “I don’t think he (Jerry Buss) wants to sell. Why should he? He’s got a good thing.”

When Vlade Divac underwent back surgery Nov. 27, the Lakers’ medical staff said he might return as early as Feb. 1, but teammates feared it would be more like March 15. Divac, however, walking now and moving easily, says he is hoping for Jan. 15. “My doctor was surprised, the way I recover,” Divac said. “Next week he will say when I can come back . . . It’s unbelievable. On the day I had surgery, I couldn’t walk. I was in bed, in one position, on my left side.”

Dallas’ No. 1 pick, Doug Smith, scored 11 points in 23 minutes Sunday and looked impressive. . . . Byron Scott took eight rebounds Sunday. In his last eight games, he has taken 40. . . . Coach Mike Dunleavy gave Tony Smith, whose sprained ankle is bothering him, another night off. Rory Sparrow made his Forum debut as a Laker, scoring four points with four assists in 17 minutes.